At the end of January our latest project in Maevatanana/Ambato-Boeni came to an end. This project, made possible thanks to the support of Fondation Segré through IUCN Save Our Species, focussed on the reinforcement of endemic & native fish populations whilst reducing the threats and pressures that threaten their survival. 

In common with all our projects in Madagascar our team took a holistic approach to project activities, recognising the needs of the local communities who can play such a vital role in conservation through effective natural resource management.

Working with communities is a collaborative process and meetings are held to discuss important issues such as land management plans © Mamitina Henriette Raharimalala, The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar

Throughout the project our team have been working with the local community associations, or VOIs, for seven communities at the project site. VOIs have an important role in Madagascar. Management responsibility of the natural resources within a specified area is transferred from government to these community associations, and management plans are established which define zones into various categories, including protected areas for wildlife and native habitats, and customary rights areas where local people can utilise resources for their living needs, such as food, income generation and habitation. One of the activities taking place during this project has been the training of VOI committee members to enable them to carry out their various management responsibilities. With improved skills and knowledge, the VOIs can operate more efficiently, and it is an important part of achieving long-term sustainability as it allows local people to become more effective stewards of their environment.

Training Community Association Members in Financial Management © Mamitina Henriette Raharimalala, The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar 

Alongside the training of VOI committees, the team have also carried out awareness-raising sessions to the wider members of each community. These sessions cover several subjects which explain the importance of rules and regulations and how using resources in a sustainable way benefits both humans and wildlife. As fishing is a significant activity in this area the sessions have been designed to cover topics to protect water resources and fish stocks such as:
•    The law & regulations on fishing, including the gear to be used.
•    The law & regulations regarding the closed season for fishing
•    The need to respect the closed season for fishing and how it can benefit communities.
•    The law & regulations on slash-and-burn agriculture, the use of fire and forest clearing 
•    The impact of the excessive use of chemical products in agriculture and effects on fish stock
•    The impact on lakes and waterways from poor agricultural practice such as transformation of lake shore into rice-fields.
 

Our Country Director, Maholy Ravaloharimanitra speaking at an awareness-raising session in Komadio © The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar

During the project ten local people have been trained as rangers. An important part of their role has been to carry out daily patrols during the closed season to enforce the fishing ban. Any unauthorized activity then resulted in sensitization sessions for the offenders and reporting to the relevant VOI where further action may take place. To help communities so dependent on fish for food and income our project also included a component to manage the closed season. Our team provided an agricultural project to enable people to gain the necessary skills and practice in climate-smart agriculture for them to be able to produce their first yield of crops as their source of food for their own consumption and produce for income during the closed period of fishing.

Following their training the local rangers received official recognition and were provided with a name tag with the signature of the Inter-Regional Directorate of the Environment (DIREDD) © Maholy Ravaloharimanitra, The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar
 
This project, which has involved activities spanning thirteen months, has involved a significant commitment from the communities involved. We hope to bring you one more update once we have completed a final assessment of progress and for now would like to end with this short video of some of the people of Marofototra celebrating after getting their Dina and Management Plan approved

 

We are grateful to Fondation Segré, and IUCN, for their support with this project. IUCN Save Our Species aims to improve the long-term survival prospects of threatened species. It also focuses on supporting the species' habitats and working with the communities who share this habitat. It achieves success by funding and coordinating conservation projects into multiple initiatives across the globe.